The world watched in horror as negotiations broke down with in February this year, with Vladimir Putin ordering 150,000 Russian troops to invade : a decision that was met with almost universal condemnation.
Russia’s attack has triggered one of Europe’s largest refugee crisis since the Second World War, seeing nearly four million Ukrainians forced to flee the country in a bid for safety.
While millions escaped, officer and documentary maker Levison Wood decided to embark on a treacherous journey in the other direction, heading into the heart of the conflict in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, to capture the human cost Putin’s war has had on the people of Ukraine.
Wood did not venture out alone, heading to the front line with his director, a friend of his and Conservative MP for Plymouth, Johnny Mercer, who had been invited to see the country by Ukrainian politicians.
‘We had to travel slightly undercover, as we didn’t want to alert people we were with an actual sitting MP,’ Wood explains. ‘We definitely need to be doing more to support refugees – Johnny definitely has got plans to do more to try and help.’
No stranger to warzones, previously fighting Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, seasoned explorer Wood was still left feeling ‘emotional’ at seeing a once thriving capital city now deserted and bombarded.
‘Nothing quite prepares you for seeing shopping centres, hospitals, residential areas bombed out,’ he says. ‘There were still bodies on the streets.
‘When the documentary comes out, it will open a lot of people’s eyes to what’s really going on out there.’
Here, Wood tells the stories behind some of the pictures he captured of the Ukrainian people he met in the Irpin, a city neighbouring Kyiv, all desperate to save the country they call home.
THE SOLDIERS
A whole spectrum of society has come together to fight against the Russians. It’s a real mixed bag – one man I spoke to was a labourer that signed up last week, another had been a masseuse – they were working alongside more experienced soldiers.
Morale amongst the Ukrainian soldiers is high. ‘F*** you Russia’ has become a call to arms for Ukrainians to fight back. I think they’re buoyant because the Russian army hasn’t been very good. People are joking the Ukrainian farming association is the third most heavily armed army in the world, because they’ve stolen so many tanks.
There’s a real gallows humour in Ukraine. One man was in hospital, joking with us that he was ‘such a loser’ because he got shot on day one of the conflict. He had been on the way to the recruitment centre, to sign up to the Ukrainian army.
UNDERCOVER FIGHTERS
This was actually taken in the house of a woman who was previously an opposition MP.
When there was news that war was breaking out, she raised a militia: her very own army of undercover fighters, and they were co-ordinating their own military activity against the Russians.
It was her own secret hideout, essentially, and this was her cat, just sitting there with all these weapons on her kitchen table.
LIFE UNDER ASSAULT
A Russian rocket hit this residential apartment building, causing huge destruction and damage. It’s horrible, as you can see lots of kids’ toys and teddy bears, and it’s a reminder that people actually live here.
Thankfully, a lot of residential areas have been evacuated before missiles were fired, but there are a few people that stay behind – they tend to be elderly people who don’t have anywhere to go.
This woman actually lived very close to that bombed residential building. Her partner had joined the army, and she didn’t want to leave him, so she’s been spending her days helping journalists out.
People can’t do their normal jobs so they’re all just doing what they can to support those who have stayed. There’s no restaurants open in Kyiv and very little food available, so trying to keep yourself fed was a real struggle.
NO RHYME OR REASON
This is 12-year-old Volodymyr and his mother. His family was trying to flee Irpin, but Russian soldiers fired on their car. The attack Ki**ed his dad and his uncle, while Volodymyr was shot in the face.
His mother survived, and Volodymyr has been in intensive care ever since. Hospitals are meant to be safe spaces, but there’s a fear about being targeted by Russians as there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to where [the Russian army] are dropping bombs.
Volodymyr and his mother are still desperate to leave, but they can’t travel with Volodymyr still needing medical care. [British MP] Johnny [Mercer] has said he’s looking in to finding this family some support.
FAMILIES TORN APART
This is a train leaving Kyiv to get to Lviv, so families can travel across the border to Poland safely. Only women and children have been allowed to leave, as the men have been conscripted to the Ukrainian army.
It’s shocking to see families torn apart. It’s important to remember that women and children are still vulnerable even once they’ve left Ukraine. Bad people can be on the border, and there’s lots of people trafficking. This is something that needs to be addressed.
ESCAPING EXECUTION
This man had a shocking tale of survival: when he was surviving on the front line, his convoy had been hit with Russian helicopter fire. It’s rare to survive a barrage like that. While he and a few of his soldier colleagues managed to escape the vehicle, they were captured by Russian forces. When he overheard a Russian commander saying they were all going to be executed, this man ran – he managed to get away, but had sustained serious injuries. It’s unclear whether any of his colleagues managed to escape with him.
The prognosis wasn’t looking good, and it’s been touch and go. He’s in a bad way, doctors say he may have ruptured his spleen, but he’s still fighting.
One guy said something to me out there that really sums it up: ‘Putin’s biggest mistake was sending slaves to try and liberate already free men.’ Putin is sending these conscripts who don’t know what they’re fighting for, against people who really do have the stomach to keep going.
Ukraine: On the Front Line With Johnny Mercer airs Sunday 3 April at 5:30pm on Channel 4.
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